The Librarian
by ShatteredHaze
Summary: Rated M, for future scenes to come. Post Hogwarts. Hermione is in hiding eventhough Voldemort is dead...but who finds her?
1. Chapter One

Disclaimer: I own nothing, therefore do not sue me!

The Librarian

Chapter 1:

When the war was over, many things changed. One of course was that people were free from Voldemort's reign. However, there were still many Death Eaters that were still out and terrorizing people. Number one on their lists? Who else but one of Harry Potter's best friends. Who else but me, Hermione Granger. Therefore, I went into hiding. Well not exactly hiding, more like hiding my identity. I am still in the wizarding world. In fact I work at Hogwarts, and am now known as Kate Grant.

Where at? You may ask. Well where else would you expect to find me? The library. I was given Madame Pince's position after she retired. Professor McGonagall, now the headmistress of Hogwarts and the only person who knows where I am, offered me the job and I jumped at the chance. Not only would I remain the very place that Death Eaters feared most, the place of the death of their oh so wonderful dark lord, but I would be surrounding by books. I could spend all day just plowing through the millions of books the library held. But still you may ask, wouldn't people recognize me? Oh one might think so, but they'd be wrong. See the summer before what would have been my seventh year at Hogwarts I discovered an interesting fact about myself. I'm a metamorphmagus, just like Tonks. The Order decided to use this fact to their advantage.

I became a spy.

I put many Death Eaters behind the bars of Azkaban. In fact I don't know if you recall but Macnair, the executioner that was going to kill Buckbeak, was captured and sentenced to life in Azkaban, all because of me. However, he was just one of many. This is why the Death Eaters are so keen on catching me. They've yet to figure out I'm a metamorphmagus but they do know I was the one spying on them. It seems like I'm bragging but it's all true. The days of the war are ones that I will not soon forget. In that fight I lost many people that were near and dear to me. Harry, Ron, and I did not go back for our final year at Hogwarts, in fact neither Ginny. It seemed as if Fred and George started a trend for the younger Weasley members. There were many tear-stained faces those four days. We lost Charlie Weasley, Remus Lupin, and Kingsley Shaklebolt among others in the Order including Severus Snape.

Being a spy, while exciting, is not something I would chose as a profession. I am actually quite content in my current position. I am not as strict as Madame Pince, in fact there is a section of the library that is devoted to group work, where talking is allowed. However there is this one person who seems to think that terrorizing me about the best thing in the world. Contrary to what you'd think it's not a student. It's the new potions professor. Professor Xavier Carmichael. He randomly comes in and asks me to find the most ridiculous books, then takes a look at it and gives it back. I don't think he actually reads anything in the books but still you never know. Speak of the devil, here he comes.

"Professor Carmichael." I said nodding to him.

"Ah, Miss Kate. How many times must I ask you to call me Xavier?" He asked smoothly.

"Well to tell you the truth Professor Xavier sounds a tad odd to me. So I'll stick with Professor Carmichael." I said settling into the familiar routine of this teasing.

"My dear Kate then perhaps you should just call me Xavier."

"Professor Carmichael, my name is Miss Kate to you and the students." I retorted stubbornly.

"Just me Miss Kate? Not any of the other teachers?" He asked beseechingly.

"Yes Professor Carmichael, just you." I said hotly.

"And why is that?"

"Because calling me Kate would imply friendship and you don't wish a friendship with me. You just wish to annoying me, by wanting incredulous books and moving books to the wrong shelves. Don't look at me like that, I know it's you!" He had tried for a look of innocence but gave up.

"One of these days Miss Kate, you will give in to me." He smirked at me and my heart stopped. The smirk, which I had never seen grace his face before, reminded me of someone. But who it was I couldn't place a finger on it. He must have seen me staring at his mouth for an instant later the smirk dropped from his face, replaced by a light smile. "One of these days Miss Kate." said repeated and left the library. It occurred to me as he walked out the door that he didn't even get a book this time. I don't know why he teases me so. We can have the most lovely conversations, discussing everything from Shakespeare to current wizarding events. I enjoy our teasing, and he's not hard on the eyes. He had soft hair the color of chocolate that he kept close cropped to his head, and his eyes were a beautiful blue, almost translucent. He was about six foot, with a slender but powerful frame. At my five and a half feet he's a complete head taller than me.

The man keeps me confused, I would swear that flirts openly with me, but never takes it beyond that. I suddenly resurfaced from thoughts to find myself still staring at the door. It was almost nine, the curfew for the students. I replaced returned books and walked around the library looking for any lingering students, not wanting them to be caught by Filch. I found a girl pouring over a large textbook in the corner, she was reading intently and didn't notice me standing there. I thought back to myself only a little over two years ago. I spent every second I could in the library preparing for our OWLs. I spent all that time and I never even took the NEWTs but I am happy as could be, finally relaxed, and finally enjoying life. I wandered over to the young woman.

"Sophy." I said softly not wanting to startle her. "Dear your curfew is in a few minutes. If you want I will write you a note saying why out past curfew, should Filch stumble upon you."

"Oh Miss Kate, please I'm almost done my essay for Professor Flitwick. Can I have just ten more minutes?"

"Of course dear." I said smiling at the girl, seeing myself in the earnestness of her face. "I'll be right back with that note for you." I walked over to my desk and pulled out a short piece of parchment and wrote out a note for Filch should she be caught. I bewitched it so that it could not be used for any night other than tonight. I know Sophy wouldn't reuse it, but others would. I sat it on the corner of my desk, and went back to replacing books. Just as I was walking back to my desk I saw Sophy finally emerging from the stacks. "Good night Sophy."

"Good night Miss Kate." She walked out the door and once again I was staring after her thinking about myself during school. I sighed and was about to gather my things to leave when I heard a voice from behind.

"Reminds me of you..." I turned to see Xavier smirking at me again and I was thrown off by the smirk, until he added one more word. "Hermione."


	2. Chapter Two

Disclaimer: I own nothing, therefore do not sue me!

Quick Author's Note: Okay so I told most of you that I would hopefully update by Friday, but uh well I felt like writing! So the next update after this may not come until Sunday. Oh and I noticed in other's stories someone wrote, AU, can someone tell me what this means? I know what OOC is but AU continues to confuse me! Oh and thanks to all my readers so far! i'm going to reply to all my reviewers but will not mention them on here, sorry :- but I think I like the other way better!

ENJOY! da goose

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The Librarian

Chapter 2

I stared agog at Xavier as he stood in front of me. He just called me Hermione...but he can't know! The only person who knows is Minerva. "Professor Carmichael, you know my name is Kate, why did you call me Hermione?"

"That's an easy question. I called you Hermione, because that's your real name." He smirked at me yet again and I found myself captivated. I know that smirk, but I can't place it...where do I know that smirk? As I was thinking he was staring at me, watching my face. "Why do you look so confused? I thought that maybe you'd be mad, try to deny it, but confused? That was not expected."

"As I told you before you odious man," I said angrily, recovering from my stupor, "My name is not Hermione! I am Kate Grant. Miss Kate to you." I finished snobbily. I picked up my things and walked out the library with Xavier trailing behind me.

"Right, because calling me odious and using your ever growing vocabulary is going to convince me you're not Granger." The way he said Granger me pause slightly as something in his voice sounded so familiar. However he was following close behind me and ran directly into me, grabbing me around the waist to keep me from falling. I turned in his arms and looked up at him.

"I, Professor Carmichael, am a librarian. I am immersed in books all day long, thus I have an expansive vocabulary. Now will you please leave me alone and stop calling me different names. My name is Kate, it is not Hermione nor is it Granger. Although, now that I think about it, Granger's an odd first name. So please, let me go and stop bothering me." I tried to pry myself from his arms but he only tightened them around me. "Carmichael please let me go." When he still didn't loosen his hold I placed my hands on his chest to push him away but as I did this I felt something hard and raised beneath his robes.

(Haha, no not that you dirty minded people!)

It was a scar. A scar is the shape of...a star? No, it couldn't be...could it? "That's right Granger." he spoke softly. "Do you feel it? Do you feel what's made me hide too? The simple scar that I cannot conceal. I'm here because this is the safest place for me, just like you. I too have a price on my head, in fact we are the two main targets. You because you placed most of their number in Azkaban. The reason they seek me if far different. I turned on them, I was counted as one of the most trusted of Death Eaters by Voldemort, but the whole time I was working for the Order. It was too late for Voldemort when he finally figured out what was happening within his circle. The fateful first day of the battle I made my allegiance known. Choosing to fight beside you rather than trying to hurt you."

I simply stared at him. Thoughts were shooting through my head like firecrackers. Scenes of the battlefield, where all had seemed lost. Not long after the war began I was quickly surrounded by Death Eaters. Voldemort himself was nearby and ordered that I was to be killed. I looked upon my imminent death with determination, that if I was going to go down, I wasn't going down alone. I started the fight by firing hexes in every which direction. All of the sudden there was someone behind me, their back pressed against mine. They whispered gruffly, "I'll watch your back you watch mine." I nodded in agreement. We slowly moved in a circle taking down the Death Eaters, one at a time.

Finally, when the last Death Eater was captured and sent to the ministry for punishment I turned to look at the person who'd saved my life. I gasped in utter shock. Before me stood a Death Eater. His face half hidden by a mask and his robes flowed around his body. "But...why?" was all I could manage. Suddenly the man collapsed in a heap on the ground, clutching the left side of his chest. "No!" I cried and ran to his side. I pulled his hand back and tore a hole in robes to expose his wound. I saw an oddly shaped cut, it looked like a star. I cleaned it as best I could and tried to heal it. The healing charm seemed to work but a scar remained in its place. "What spell could have done this?" I wondered aloud lightly tracing the hard, raised scar.

The man suddenly grabbed my wrist, and I quickly raised my eyes to find blue, almost translucent eyes staring at me. "Thank you Granger." he managed gruffly.

"Is there anything else I can do?" I asked him still not breaking eye contact. He shook his head yes. He leaned forward and captured my head in his hands he pulled me forward and kissed me softly and wonderfully. He pulled back, leaning his forehead against mine staring into my eyes and finally breaking eye contact he slowly rose from ground.

"I am in your debt, but now the battle rages on and we cannot sit here. One day Hermione Granger, I will find you and answer your question...wait for me." I stared after him as disappeared toward the fighting. I realized a moment later that I was still sitting on the ground while there was battle going on. I quickly stood up and ran off to help my friends.

"Granger?" I finally snapped back to reality when Xavier shook me gently. I realized I was still in his arms, standing in the middle of the hall outside the library. "Are you okay? Your eyes glazed over." he asked, apparently concerned.

I shook my head trying to clear it. "I'm fine. I was just...remembering." He nodded in understanding and we stood there for a little while just looking in each others eyes. "It's you." I said surprising both him and myself. "The man who helped me. The man who..." I trailed off still looking at him and unconsciously I began to outline the star with my fingertip. He grasped my hand and held it in his. I looked down at our hands, his fingers intertwined with mine. "All this time, you were here? Did you know it was me all along?"

"Not all along, only after the first week or two."

"The first week or two? It's almost Christmas! You've known for almost three months?" I said outraged, he hung his head in shame. "But...why didn't you tell me?" His head shot up, apparently that's not what he was expecting, and I continued angrily, unable to stop myself. "All this time! I could have known you were safe! I think about you every night before I go to sleep. I pray that you lived, and that some day you'd come and find me! Now I find out that you've been here all along!" I stopped my tirade finally realizing what I'd said, and embarrassed I quickly away from his awestruck face.

After a few moments he seemed to have found his voice and spoke softly. "I lived. I came and found you. I think about you every night before I go to sleep. I pray that some day you'd figure out who I was. I should have known that you would not look for me, that you'd actually listen to what I said and waited for me to find you. I've gotten to know you these past months, I've come to care about you and had hoped that you would return my feelings. But never once, besides our teasing did you ever hint that you wanted something more. Was it because you were waiting for me to return? For me to find you?"

I finally met his piercing stare. He had told me he cared for me, I had to tell him. Had to tell him...that he was right. "Yes. I didn't let my feelings for you as Xavier develop as much as they could because part of my heart was waiting. Waiting for that mysterious man come back. Here you are. Standing in front of me. I couldn't have asked for it to happen better. I felt guilty because you asked me to wait for you, and I was trying to but my feelings were growing stronger for...well for you." He grinned down at me and leaned forward to kiss me, and just before his lips reached mine, I realized something.

"Wait!" I cried, pulling back from him, not allowing him to kiss me. "If you aren't Professor Xavier Carmichael, and I know you aren't because you said you were hiding too...who are you?"


End file.
